The current model encourages corruption and leaves cities to construct massive sites for an extremely short term pay off — Perhaps the most depressing thing about this year’s edition of the Summer Olympic Games is the empty stadiums. Normally, the host city enjoys a massive, if temporary, influx of international tourists eager to take in the games and spend cash locally. But because of the Covid-19 pandemic, Tokyo will not…

The story of Suzy Favor Hamilton and the implosion of her sponsorships — Suzy Favor Hamilton was getting into constant fights with her husband. She’d developed a strange attachment to her daughter, refusing to put her down. She was acting irrational and was prone to huge mood swings and fits of anger. Her husband thought it might be postpartum depression and urged her…

Lessons from a foodie nation on how to eat well for life — I was recently meeting with a friend for dinner in the U.S., and at the end of the meal the waiter came up to us and asked if we would like to see the dessert menu. I didn’t really have an opinion so I gestured to my friend that it…

What a curious Victorian practice reveals about our modern approach to death — It’s a wistful image. The unknown woman seems pensive, gazing reflectively into the foreground. Her head rests upon lace, possibly her own handiwork, and behind is a shelf of small vials, the homemaker’s apothecary. She is graceful, quiet, restive. In truth, the woman is dead. The picture (below) was taken…